HYDERABAD, March 7: Despite directives from President Gen Pervez Musharraf, the Sindh government has not allotted land for nine police stations of the katcha area in the district, inquiries by Dawn revealed on Monday.

Sources said following the recommendation by the then Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Afzal Shigri, in 1994 that land should be allotted to police in Sindh for police stations and police posts in riverine and hilly area, then Sindh chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah had announced allotment of 64 acres of land for each katcha area police station on May 16, 1994.

The police stations are facing many problems as policemen were working under extremely poor conditions due to non-availability of their own residential buildings, water, roads, wire-less sets, electricity and vehicles, sources said.

They said the directives were issued to the Sindh board of revenue for completing paper work and handing over land to the Sindh police but in vain. President Musharraf had visited the Central Police Office, (headquarters of the Sindh Police) in December 2001 and then PPO Syed Kamal Shah had raised the issue, requesting him for lands' allotment.

The sources said President's directive (number 1509) was communicated to concerned quarters. As a follow-up a meeting was held between police and revenue authorities but without any headway to date.

"Such land has been allotted in Dadu and Larkana because it was part of package of establishment of katcha area police stations", said DPO A.D. Khwaja. "Perhaps there is some rift between revenue and forest department", he said.